Jenny Ashford is a horror, true crime, and paranormal writer, graphic designer, and podcaster. Her most recent books are a three-volume true crime compilation collectively known as The Faceless Villain: A Collection of the Eeriest Unsolved Murders of the Twentieth Century. Volume One was published in 2017, Volume Two in 2018, and Volume Three in 2019. Her other books include four paranormal nonfiction books: The Unseen Hand: A New Exploration of Poltergeist Phenomena, The Mammoth Mountain Poltergeist (with Tom Ross), House of Fire and Whispers: Investigating the Seattle Demon House, and The Rochdale Poltergeist (both with Steve Mera); as well as three horror novels, Red Menace, Bellwether, and The Five Poisons; two short story collections, Hopeful Monsters and The Associated Villainies; and a graphic novel, The Tenebrist. A second edition of The Associated Villainies was published in 2019, featuring four new stories, an enhanced print layout, and an audio book version. A second edition of The Five Poisons was published in 2020. Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including The Nightmare Collective, History Is Dead, 2012AD, ChimeraWorld #3, and ChimeraWorld #4. Her horror blog, Goddess of Hellfire, contains writing news, short stories and articles, and her reviews and opinions on horror films and books. She also co-hosts a podcast with Tom Ross called 13 O'Clock, on which they discuss true crime, unexplained mysteries, paranormal weirdness, horror movies and books, food, and other fun, creepy topics. They recently collaborated on a 13 O'Clock cookbook. Jenny's graphic design work can be seen on everything from books and business cards to posters and packaging. She runs an online store called Gravecake selling products with her designs, and also has a board-and-card game concern called Giallo Games, which produces games based around the beloved Italian horror/crime genre, among many other themes.
It was about seven-thirty p.m. on the frigid, foggy evening of December 23rd, 1992, and fourteen-year-old Johanna Young set out from her home in Watton, Norfolk, England, presumably to visit her boyfriend, Ryan Firman. She was spotted near a chip shop in the city center by a handful of witnesses over the ensuing hour, but … More Johanna Young
On the early afternoon of February 11th, 1993, a neighbor entered the bungalow of eighty-two-year-old Doris Shelley in Martlesham, Suffolk. Ever since Doris had been beaten and robbed of all her life savings in a home invasion back in June of 1991—the amount stolen in excess of twelve-thousand pounds—she had been a terrified recluse, and … More Doris Shelley
As the spring of 1993 came into full blossom, a distinguished athlete would be gunned down in his own home in Texas. Fifty-six-year-old Colin Ridgway had been born in Melbourne, Australia, where he began his sports career playing Australian rules football and representing his country as a high jumper in the 1956 Olympics. In 1965, … More Colin Ridgway
On December 13th, 2001, a woman’s body was discovered off a rural road in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Unidentified at first, police noted the distinctive rose tattoo on her back, and initially believed that the woman had died of a drug overdose. Meanwhile, the family of thirty-one-year-old Angela Williams was wondering what had happened to … More Angela Williams
On October 20th, 2001, in Northern Ireland, a thirty-six-year-old man would disappear after spending a night out with friends, only to turn up brutally slain shortly afterward. Apparently, Hugh Cameron had been fearing for his life for several months, although none of his friends or family seem to know exactly why. According to his former … More Hugh Cameron
Fifty-three-year-old Palestinian immigrant Abdullah Nimer lived in Bell, California with his wife and six children, and made a living as a door-to-door salesman. This profession had been difficult enough prior to 9/11, but afterwards, some potential customers he approached were outright hostile. All he could do, though, was keep at it, and try to let … More Abdullah Nimer
In early summer of 1993, a young woman would be found dead at a Colorado campsite, and her identity remained a mystery for nearly two decades. It was June 15th, and a hiker walking through the Rainbow Falls Campground in the Pike San Isabel National Forest near Castle Rock, Colorado, spotted the partially-clad body of … More Becky Redeker, aka Rainbow Falls Doe
It was the snowy afternoon of Sunday, November 21st, 1993, and twenty-one-year-old Karen Hales was at the home she shared on Lavenham Road in Ipswich with her fiancé Peter Ruffles and the pair’s eighteen-month-old daughter Emily. At a little before four o’clock, it was already starting to get dark, and Peter left for work. Karen … More Karen Hales
It was January 29th, 1994, and two young women—Monika Maeir and Lauri Duncan—were hiking through Pogonip Park in Santa Cruz, California, looking for wild mushrooms in the woods. What they found instead was the partially buried and decomposed remains of an unknown teenage girl. The victim was white, with short brown hair, pink nail polish, … More Kori Lamaster
Seventeen-year-old Deanna Cremin lived with her parents and five siblings in Somerville, Massachusetts; she was a petite, attractive girl who volunteered for a local cable access station, worked part-time at the Star Market, and planned to go into teaching or social work after her graduation. On the evening of Wednesday, March 29th, 1995, Deanna had … More Deanna Cremin
